Ahead of the Masters Tournament, former NBA coach-turned-analyst Jeff Van Gundy took some time on Wednesday to remind everyone that up until very, very recently, Augusta National Golf Club wasn’t too welcoming to people who weren’t white or weren’t men. During ESPN’s broadcast of the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns game, Van Gundy, alongside fellow commentators Mike Breen and Mark Jackson, switched to talking about the Masters after Breen pondered what it would be like if Van Gundy served as an announcer for the event. Unsurprisingly, Van Gundy did not disappoint. “Oh, like they didn’t allow black people and women in there? Something like that?” Van Gundy said…
Ahead of the Masters Tournament, former NBA coach-turned-analyst Jeff Van Gundy took some time on Wednesday to remind everyone that up until very, very recently, Augusta National Golf Club wasn’t too welcoming to people who weren’t white or weren’t men.
During ESPN’s broadcast of the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns game, Van Gundy, alongside fellow commentators Mike Breen and Mark Jackson, switched to talking about the Masters after Breen pondered what it would be like if Van Gundy served as an announcer for the event. Unsurprisingly, Van Gundy did not disappoint.
“Oh, like they didn’t allow black people and women in there? Something like that?” Van Gundy said.
He continued, “Yeah, I’m glad we’re quiet about that. But anyway, how about Jack Nicklaus making a hole-in-one today in the par three tournament?”
Elevating the awkwardness, ESPN will be airing Masters coverage on Thursday and Friday.
“You can’t go from blacks and women to Jack getting a hole-in-one,” Jackson said, laughing.
But Van Gundy kept up, replying, “Well I’m going to say it. Would I have been wrong, like, maybe pointing that out, that there’s something wrong with that?”
“You’ve officially stumped Mike,” Jackson said.
Keeping things lighthearted, Breen said he agreed with Van Gundy’s comments, but that they also “just proved my point about how you just can’t have him on the Masters coverage,” before switching to asking Van Gundy about his golf game.
Opened in 1932, Augusta only allowed its first female members in 2012, although women were allowed to play on the course as guests. Its membership also excluded blacks until 1990, when the club had its first African-American member.
H/T The Big Lead
— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
See more here:
Jeff Van Gundy Would Like To Remind Everyone About Augusta’s History of Racism And Sexism
